In February's auction round-up, we look to some uniquely presented whiskies currently going under the hammer, as well as a series of first releases. We also look back at the results from previous auction highlights.
What you missed...
Port Ellen Queen's Visit
As highlighted in our January edition of 'Drams under the hammer', one of Whisky Auctioneer's top lots for its last auction was a 12-year-old bottling of Port Ellen. This extremely rare expression was gifted only to those present at the late Queen Elizabeth II's visit to the distillery in 1980. It sold at auction with a winning bid of £64,500.
The Ben
Also in Whisky Auctioneer's December auction, the Scottish Drinks & Hospitality Benevolent Society Charity (known as 'the Ben') auctioned a selection of bottles to raise funds, including single malts and blends. The charity revealed that it had raised £12,500 through auction proceeds.
Coming up...
Isle of Tiree's inaugural single malt
The Isle of Tiree Distillery released its first single malt whisky earlier this month, selling out the 800-bottle drop within 12 minutes. Luckily for those not quick to click, 10 bottles of Tiree's debut were held back to be auctioned in Whisky Auctioneer's January auction. The expression has had a four-cask maturation: new oak, ex-Heaven Hill bourbon, oloroso first-fill hogshead, and another oloroso sherry butt in which the contents of two hogsheads were married. The distillery is donating 10 per cent of the proceeds from the auction sale to Isle of Tiree charities.
Whiskey calling
Featured in Whisky.Auction's upcoming auction is a Beam Kentucky Straight Whiskey in an unusual case. The decanter is a porcelain payphone, encasing the 100-month-aged Jim Beam whiskey. Beam has released various novelty ceramic decanters over the years, especially between the 1960s–80s.
Macallan Blake Eight Decades Collection
In Whisky Auctioneer's current auction, a collection features which reminds of a time when Macallan was mostly a constituent malt in blends, rather than one of the most well-known single malts of today. Macallan's 2012 collaboration with pop artist Sir Peter Blake charts both eight decades of Blake's life and the development of the Macallan over the years. The set includes whiskies distilled in each decade from the 1930s–2000s, alongside artefacts representing each era.
